No. 18/19 Butler fought back from a 16-point deficit, but couldn't find a basket in the final seconds, falling 53-52 at No. 11 Baylor Tuesday night in Waco, Texas.
The loss is the first of the season for Butler (9-1), while Baylor improves to 8-1.
Senior guard
Kamar Baldwin had 19 points for the Bulldogs, climbing into Butler's Top 10 in career scoring along the way.
Sean McDermott hit six of his eight shots on the night, netting 16 points.
"We have a lot of respect for Baylor and their program," said Butler coach LaVall Jordan. "They are a tough group and they out-toughed us in the opening stretch. I'm proud of the way we responded and how we fought back. We just couldn't get that basket or two to flip the scoreboard. Our leadership and grit was really good in the second half, but we needed it for all 40 minutes tonight."
Baylor got out of the gates strong, taking the largest lead of the game at 28-12 with 7:01 remaining in the first half. At that point in the contest, Butler had hit only four of its 17 attempts.
The Bulldogs then methodically chipped away at the lead, using a stout defense to limit Baylor's offensive attack.
Baldwin keyed the comeback as his back-to-back scores in the lane pulled Butler within 44-40 at the 10:07 mark.
Baylor pushed the lead back to four at 53-49 with 3:40 to play, but would not score the rest of the way. Baldwin would get the Bulldogs within one at 53-52 with 1:14 to play, but a charging call and then a blocked attempt with three seconds remaining ended Butler's chances.
Each team committed only 11 turnovers, but Baylor was able to turn those into 17 points, while Butler only produced five off those Baylor miscues.
Baylor used 13 offensive rebounds to take a tight 34-33 rebounding edge.
Aaron Thompson paced Butler with eight rebounds, tying a career-high.
Butler's defense limited Baylor to 19 points and 24-percent shooting in the second half. The Bears made only one three-pointer after the half. That allowed Butler to get back in the contest.
Devonte Bandoo and MaCio Teague led Baylor with 10 points apiece. The Bears shot 35 percent overall in the contest.
The Bulldogs return to Hinkle Fieldhouse Saturday, hosting Southern in a noon tip. Tickets are still available.
